Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me....

Yup...once again...right on time...its my birthday

So I decided to spoil the folks at work with something special. Last months Daring Bakers assignment were Cheesecake Pops from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. They looked great and I envied all bloggers that posted them. I didn't have lollipop sticks and the skewers were too long. So they are just plain cheescake balls, but they are wonderful. The idea of serving a cheesecake this way is awesome!

You will love them! And they vanished within seconds. These are a definate do again in my kitchen.I halved the recipe.

Assorted decorations - optional [I used coloured sugar, strawberry powder, shredded coconut and maple sugar]Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 166′C. Set some water to boil.In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 56g balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve